Nazareth Music Center

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Regards,
*** ***

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 
Regards,
[redacted]

February 27, 2015
Dear Representative of the Revdex.com/[redacted],
The following is my written response to Revdex.com Complaint ID# [redacted], filed by a [redacted] of [redacted] in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ. My response, free of customer identification, is a...

truthful account of my experience with this customer, and follows after the line break.The customer in question (name withheld) first contacted our store the week of January 4th, 2015; said customer inquired about a [redacted] Guitar, Model [redacted]. Over the course of the next two weeks, I, along with my coworkers, Dorothy and Edith, spoke extensively with the customer on numerous occasions (at least 4 times, to my recollection), describing in detail the aural and aesthetic qualities of this wood-body instrument, and each time encouraging him to com to our store to observe and try it out for himself. Here at the Nazareth Music Center, we always encourage our customers to come in and try out the products that we stock, as we have a no-return policy, and musical instruments tend to be rather personal items.
On January 22, 2015, the customer came into our store to investigate purchasing the guitar in question, which, as a courtesy, we had held for him for the previous two and a half weeks. The customer spent ample time with the instrument; I played it for him, listened to him play it, and explained to him two very important points. First among these points was that we did/do not have a return policy. That is, once you buy an instrument, it is yours, as, once an instrument (especially a [redacted] guitar, which is by nature very sensitive to changes in its environment, temperature, humidity and so forth) is out of our care, we can no longer vouch, to the next potential customer, for its condition. The Second item that was explained in detail was [redacted] & Co.'s warranty policy, and the Standards of care that they require owners to adhere to in order to maintain their warranty. All wood-body instruments (including, of course, a wood-body guitar such as the one in question) are rather susceptible to damage if they are in an improper environment; while [redacted] & Co. has a generous, lifetime manufacturer’s warranty that comes with every full size guitar that they produce, they, of course, cannot be responsible in the instance that a guitar is not properly cared for. For this reason, I advised the customer to ensure that his instrument was in a proper environment; as close to 50% relative humidity as possible, and at a temperature not exceeding the extremes of 62 degrees Fahrenheit and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Whether or not the customer properly cared for his guitar (implying that this is a genuine defect) or not (and this is a case of user error/neglect), I am not qualified to say. Nor, for that matter, is the customer in question, as neither he nor I (or my coworkers) are licensed [redacted] technicians. The only party that can truly determine this point is [redacted]
[redacted] & Co. What’s more, should there be a defect with the guitar, the only party that can truly alleviate the customer’s concern and “make the situation right”, as it were, is [redacted] & Co. It is just for a case like this that our customers choose to buy [redacted] & Co. products, and we have had a long-standing business relationship with their company; they steadfastly stand behind their products, and excel in the field of customer service.
To this end, I advised the customer to contact [redacted] & Co. to seek an appropriate resolution to this issue. While the customer mistakenly believed (in spite of my informing him in person multiple times to the contrary) that we here at the Nazareth Music Center have a 30-day return/exchange policy, he was (perhaps knowingly, perhaps not) in fact referring to an outdated, “dead” (in terms of internet accessibility/validity) webpage that is associated with our domain name, www.nazarethmusic.com. The webpage in question details a 30-day return/exchange policy that was attributed to our now-defunct online store. We developed the policy in line with our longstanding business ethics that we have displayed over our 50+ years in business, to afford the our online customers the same opportunity to try the products that we stock as our in-store shoppers. This online store was shut down in 2006, nearly ten years ago now. Furthermore, this policy (since put into process to be taken down, but a copy of which is enclosed in this mailing) clearly states that it is applicable to purchases made through our online Store only. From the first line, “The Nazareth Music Center Online Store will accept returned items for up to 30 days after the invoice date for exchange, credit or a full refund, excluding shipping charges”. The customer, in truth and by his own admission, purchased the instrument in question in our store, which would obviously preclude him from any policy related to our since-defunct online operations (a moot point, nonetheless, as we no longer have an online sales presence).
We here at the Nazareth Music Center are committed to satisfying our customers, and would truly like to see this customer find a happy ending. Luckily, through [redacted] & Co., a resolution is possible! We would be more than happy to assist this individual, within our means, in bringing his guitar in to the [redacted] & Co. factory for a full inspection and, provided that his claim is valid, warranty repair. While I understand the customer’s frustration, I feel that it its vital to note that, since this guitar was purchased by the customer and is under [redacted] & Co.'s lifetime manufacturer’s warranty, the customer’s issue, and any potential for positive resolution, lies with [redacted] & Co.
Sincerely,Peter
If there is any way that I can further assist in the clarification of this mistaken complaint, or in assisting [redacted] in finding a resolution to his quandary, please do advise me. We can be reached most effectively between the hours of 12pm and 8pm, weekdays, by phone (###-###-####) by fax (###-###-####), or by email ([email protected]).